A Braves blog of statistics, numbers, and CPA-driven analysis about Atlanta and the rest of the NL East.

Monday, June 17, 2013

Game 3 Recap: Giants 6/16/13

The Braves put together a dominating pitching performance in Game 3, led by Julio Teheran's 6 innings of shutout ball with 8 Ks and one walk. The ridiculous part was the Giants had 7 hits, but the Braves were able to dance around the damage with a combination of good luck and ground balls. Then to make matters worse for the Giants hitters, the Brave bullpen didn't allow a single baserunner for the next 3 innings. They went into complete shutdown mode. Craig Kimbrel came into the game in the 9th and made the Giants hitters look silly. It almost wasn't fair. 1-2-3, go sit down. Braves win.

Was the Braves hitting any good? Meh, it was good enough, and with a shutout by your pitching staff, that's not a big hurdle. The Braves went 2-10 with RISP, stranding runners everywhere. Freddie Freeman continues to be one of the reasons the Braves are even competitive. His 3/4 day with a 2-out RBI gave the Braves the early 1 run lead. CJ also continues to be an unsung hero with his good hitting at the back end of the lineup, with 2 hits on the day. That was 5 of the Braves 7 total hits. The rest of the lineup got one base with walks or singles, but there were no big homers for the Braves in this game. Tim Lincecum wasn't sharp and he was walking people constantly. He gave up 6 hits and 5 walks. You can pitch around the hits, but it's almost impossible to defend that many walks.

The Braves took the series by taking game 3, and if you were watching the ESPN broadcast, you'd be shocked the Braves could do anything at all. They continue to play to their audience, which is primarily pushing the coastal fans, and in the meantime they seem to talk a lot about the deficiencies in Heyward's swing, the problems that Lincecum has been having, and how good Buster Posey is playing. I don't have a problem with pointing these things out, but outside of Kimbrel, you don't usually hear them give a lot of credit to the Braves lineup. I do have a problem with how negative they seemed to be on a lot of different topics, on both sides. They did discuss Gattis and his skills before wondering if he should leave the Braves in 5 years for an AL contract. Because the AL is their money maker, remember? If it's not Boston of NYC, how did it get on the air?

Anyway, next up the Braves face a Mets team that made the airwaves this week for one of the worse defensive plays you're likely to see all season. That's no reason to believe they can't bring that kind of ineptitude down to Turner Field for a few games. In fact, I'm hoping they do.

About Me

I come home from a long day of cranking the adding machine, and during baseball season I know that almost every night at 7PM, the Braves will be there. They are like a comforting sports night lite. I fully admit to doing the Chop in my own living room, by myself, in order to get a rally going. I also admit to getting entirely too involved in the games by yelling at the TV. My neighbors probably think I'm insane. They may be correct.
I'm also a devout Christian, and a friend of Jesus. I enjoy discussing the Bible and teaching a class at my local church.